As the fields of nano-robotics, minute bioengineering and magnetic particles for biotech proliferate in medical science and industry, so does the need for innovative tools to manipulate the devices and systems being investigated and developed. They must operate at minute scales not commonly encountered.
One company serving this need is MagnebotiX AG, a Swiss technology firm based in Zurich. Founded in 2014 as a spin-off of the ETH Zurich Multi-Scale Robotics Lab, the company develops and produces advanced magnetic manipulation systems including high-precision magnetic field generators used for contactless control of nano- and microrobots, particles and magnetic tools for biomedical, engineering and research applications.
As a sponsor of the recent annual Scientific & Clinical Applications of Magnetic Carriers conference, held in May at the Sorbonne University in Paris, the company showcased its products and their applications. The portfolio of magnetic field generators includes the MFG-100, OctoMag and Navion. These cover a wide range of working volumes and support different applications in engineering, mechanobiology and surgical research. They enable precise wireless control across the centi-, milli-, and microscale.
OctoMag, shown at top, is its flagship research platform, offering a 50mm working volume that bridges the gap between microscale research and preclinical applications. Designed for centimeter-scale investigations, it is particularly well-suited for small-animal in vivo studies, anatomical phantom experiments, and development of medical microrobotic procedures. The eight-coil configuration provides full 5-DOF control of magnetic devices, with multi-axis access to the volume for complex experimental setups.
It is a good fit for researchers seeking to expand their discoveries beyond the microscope slide. It has recently been put to use in the RoCoCo Lab at Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, also was installed recently at CEITEC at Brno University of Technology in Czech Republic.
The MiniMag is a tabletop magnetic actuation system designed specifically for integration with standard (MFG-100) and inverted (MFG-100-i) optical microscopes, suitable for cellular-scale research, microrobotics development and educational applications. The fields enable unrestrained actuation, in both translational and rotational modes within a 10mm working volume of magnetic microparticles, microrobots, and magnetically-labeled cells. It also features full 5-DOF magnetic control. In December, one was installed at TU Darmstadt and integrated into the local research infrastructure.
The Navion Research Kit NRK-300 is a configurable clinical-scale electromagnetic actuation system. Designed for large-animal preclinical studies and simulated human-scale procedures, it enables researchers to develop and validate magnetic navigation at clinical scale. Built for integration with clinical imaging modalities, the NRK is fully mobile, can be used at bedside, and can be remotely controlled. The basic unit holds 1–4 coils and multiple units can be combined into a single integrated actuation system for higher degrees of freedom and more complex manipulation capabilities. For more info, see www.magnebotix.com and www.magneticmicrosphere.com.
